Hydrogels with prestressed tensegrity structures
Tensegrity structures are isolated rigid compression components held in place by a continuous network of tensile components, and are central to natural systems such as the extracellular matrix and the cell cytoskeleton. These structures enable the nonreciprocal mechanical properties essential for dynamic biological functions. Here, we introduce a synthetic approach to engineer hydrogels with tensegrity architectures, drawing inspiration from the mechanochemical principles underlying biological systems. By employing in-situ enzyme-induced amino acid crystal growth within preformed polymeric networks, we achieve a hierarchical integration of micro crystal sticks randomly interlocked in the prestressed polymer matrice. This design mirrors natural tensegrity structures, balancing mechanical forces to maintain high stiffness (tensile moduli up to 30 MPa), fracture toughness (2600 J m⁻²), and water content (exceeding 80%). The resultant hydrogels exhibit bimodulus behavior due to their tensegrity structure, featuring a tensile-to-compressive modulus ratio of 13. This biomimetic approach provides a strategy for creating robust, adaptive materials for applications in tissue engineering and beyond.
Authors
- Tasuku Nakajima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2235-3478)
- Haoqi Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1269-7576)
- Jian Ping Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2228-2750)
- Yi Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1493-7868)
- Bin Xue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0822-6501)
- Qian Li
- Wei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5441-0302)
- Ying Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3898-698X)
- Yiran Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7922-7766)
- Yu Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5586-7335)
- Ming Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1863-9577)
- Meng Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4025-6089)
- Xu Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4101-7530)
Institutions
- Wenzhou University (CN)
- Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN)
- Hokkaido University (JP)
- Nanjing Brain Hospital (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Hokkai Gakuen University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-04-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58956-3
- Citations
- 22
- Primary Topic
- Structural Analysis and Optimization
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 20.97
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Government of Jiangsu Province
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology